Epilepsy monitoring patient Abagail Dunham, 12, of East Hampton, received a special visitor and a special gift on Tuesday at Stony Brook University Medical Center. James Leonard, also 12, of Rocky Point, delivered 30 quilts for current and future distribution to pediatric epilepsy patients in the Long Island Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at Stony Brook after he himself was diagnosed and treated there less than a year ago.
Because purple is her favorite color, Abagail Dunham, 12, selected this purple quilt out of the 30 new quilts that were made, collected and donated to Stony Brook University Medical Center by James Leonard (center), 12, who was diagnosed and treated in the Long Island Comprehensive Epilepsy Center by Dr. Mary Andriola (left).
After many bouts with seizures, a year of misdiagnosis and ineffective medication therapy, James was seen by Dr. Mary Andriola, Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics, Chief of the Divisions of Child Neurology, Clinical Neurophysiology and Pediatric Epilepsy at Stony Brook. Following an overnight evaluation, James was diagnosed with BECTs, benign epilepsy with central temporal spikes. Dr. Andriola and colleagues have since successfully treated James’ condition; he has been seizure free since December 2005, and wants to raise BECTs awareness of this form of epilepsy.
In addition, as part of his bar mitzvah community service project (he makes his bar mitzvah on December 3), James initiated and organized a campaign to acquire “Comfort Quilts” for other pediatric patients being monitored in the Long Island Comprehensive Epilepsy Center . He and his parents, Roberta and Andrew Leonard, delivered the quilts to Dr. Andriola and staff so that the hospital stays of other children will be warm and cozy.
